


First Steps

by xXxCrimsonDreamsxXx



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Dorks in Love, Ficlet, First Kiss, Fluff and Smut, French Kissing, M/M, Neck Kissing, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-12 05:28:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28880238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xXxCrimsonDreamsxXx/pseuds/xXxCrimsonDreamsxXx
Summary: Is Varrick's birthday party and Mako needs some fresh air, meeting with General Iroh and finding out slowly what his feelings are trying to tell him.||Makroh||
Relationships: Iroh II/Mako (Avatar), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 17





	First Steps

**Author's Note:**

  * For [H_holiday](https://archiveofourown.org/users/H_holiday/gifts).
  * A translation of [Primeros Pasos](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/746157) by xXxCrimsonDreamsxXx. 



> I like more the summary here than in Wattpad xD  
> Anyway, another Makroh story!!! Yay!!!  
> and it's for H_Holiday again. Thank you so much for your support☕💜
> 
> And thank you everyone for your feedback in Warm Relief!! It really surprised me 😄

It was Varrick's party, full of drinks, pretty women, high-ranking people talking about important or, perhaps, irrelevant things while carrying a glass of strong drink that decorated his elegant suit appearance. Of course the Avatar and her friends would be invited to the  _ great _ Varrick's birthday party, to enjoy themselves and spend the night as if there was nothing to worry about. But there was, after the destruction that Kuvira caused, the new portal to the Spirit World born in the middle of Republic City, and the coming elections. All of that surely occupied the minds of the rest, but they were behaving as if it weren't worried.

Mako sighed, seeing the table full of food; there was enough to feed those made homeless by the Kuvira incident. At that table, his brother Bolín was choking on everything the dishes offered, after Korra, challenged him that he wouldn't swallow everything that had been served. Bolín was with his belly already big and panting from the exhaustion that eating so much meant, Asami didn't look worried in the least, she just covered her mouth with her fingers, it was noted on her cheekbones that she was smiling.

"Bolin! Grow up! Do you remember the last time you wanted to finish an entire banquet?" Mako scolded.

"You're right! It was at Asami's mansion, but this time it wasn't so much food. I bet, oh, the great Bolin, master of lavabending, can take the last cake on that table,” Korra crooned, exaggerating the greatness of Bolín to motivate him in this pathetic competition, making Asami burst out laughing.

Mako sighed again, shaking his head.

His friends were having a good time, it was a moment to relax after so much that happened. How long had it been? Not long, his arm was still in a cast from the terrible burn that was sure to leave a mark. Although Mako was sullen on his face, he was relieved that they could relax a bit after so much stress. Except that his mind still couldn't adjust to it, he was always taking responsibility for everything, carrying problems on his shoulders that he couldn't solve alone and a future that was unknown, that filled him with uncertainty.

He looked at Korra, she was the first cause for which he wanted to carry the responsibilities, and avoid her so many problems that claimed her for being _the_ _Avatar_. But she was strong, stronger than him, and perhaps he was underestimating her; she now was smiling, having fun and relaxing. If she could, so could he.

"I'mf stronfgerf thanf youf thinkf! Youf killf joyf"

Bolin spat that, practically, in defense of what Mako had said, but he could hardly be understood by the buns of food that occupied each cheek and made it impossible for his tongue to properly modulate his words.

"Whatever," Mako wiped his cheek, where Bolin had spit on him a small piece of chewed muffin. He wanted to get away from the noise for a moment and adjust his mind, besides, so many people moving around were an obstacle to his arm in recovery from him. As he was looking for a place, his amber eyes met those of a tall, pale man; a well defined chin, and hair that even from a distance you could tell how silky it was. He seemed to know how to express the most elegant smile Mako have ever seen, and that Mako hated the fake smiles of the high ranking members, who laughed openly for the crowd — especially at parties — yet this man's smile was moderate, and arguably, attractive.

He shook his head, looking at him more appropriately, he realized that he was looking at no one else and none other than General Iroh. Wow, without his uniform he looked like an ordinary man, although he still kept that elegance. His heart beat fast at this discovery, he was surprised to have found him at this party and hesitation began to call him because of the need that arose to approach him to speak to him.

Before thinking why he was doing it, or if he should do it, his feet already took a mind of their own and led him to face the General, who glanced at Mako. Mako called himself a fool in the privacy of the inside of his mind, his teeth biting the inside of his cheek to release the tension, for he no longer had an excuse to pass by, he had prepared nothing to say.

His hand just rested on the General's shoulder, drawing his attention. Iroh turned slightly, blinking in confusion or, perhaps, surprised.

"General," Mako said formally, surprised that his voice came out successfully.

Iroh smiled, nodding, "Detective,"

Little did Mako realize as he approached that there were more people present than Iroh was attending, and as soon as he noticed this, breathing became more difficult and a cold bead of sweat ran down his back. Perhaps he chose a bad time to appear, he wasn't someone who simply fit into a group of people he didn't know, besides, he didn't care to meet, he just wanted — without knowing why — to talk to Iroh, to be with him.

Iroh kept his conversation with his group, until he felt Mako's uneasy breathing and his stiff gestures on his face, so he decided, in the most informal way, to take the firebender to a private place to talk more calmly.

Mako was surprised the moment he felt the gloved hand firmly grasp his good forearm and drag him without a salute, away from the group the General was conversing with before Mako approached him. For an instant, he thought that …

No. In fact, Mako didn't think of anything the moment the breeze hit his reddened face from the contact that pulled him close to the General, and carried him to a place where only his voices would be heard.

In that moment, he just realized that he needed this.

He led him to a sort of balcony that overlooked the sea, the glow of the portal reflecting off the seascape. Mako saw some landscapes, but he didn't remember seeing such a blue and crystalline sea as now. Still, appreciating the beauty of the sea, the stars aligned in the sky and the full moon shining above them, was an excuse not to have to see the General's face, because, to be honest in this silence, Mako knew he was a coward emotionally.

And his heart was confused; very disturbed by the presence of the General who had occupied his mind when he had nothing else to think about. Nor was it as if they had a close relationship, they were limited to a purely professional relationship; Mako had his uniform and Iroh his, though now, they seemed like two completely ordinary guys, with no obligations to talk when it came to work. Their shoulders could be brushing as they stared at the moon like they were two teenagers.

"The moon looks beautiful tonight." Iroh broke the ice.

Mako shuddered, coughed slightly as he suddenly felt him lose his voice. "Yeah, I'm sorry to have interrupted your conversation"

Iroh shrugged. "Actually, I was getting bored, and the drink was disgusting," he replied with a slight amused tone.

Mako smirked, daring to glance at the General and appreciate each of his gestures. "So you're one of those who smiles falsely."

"I still have a status to keep, right?" He pronounced sarcastically, stretching his suit. "Except for you, I can finally relax the gestures on my face, and you stopped bringing that face of few friends and too many victims" He winked at him, causing Mako to blush, perhaps out of embarrassment or out of anger. Maybe both.

"I haven't found a place to develop my charms, okay?" Mako snorted, looking away from him.

Iroh laughed. "I never said that that wasn't one of your charms"

There was a silence between them that only the whistle of the breeze could stop. Again, it had been Iroh who broke Mako's comfort of keeping quiet.

"I'm still waiting for your calls. I wonder why you still didn't call me,” he said seriously, startling Mako a little.

Yes, it was true, Iroh had left his number for him somewhere; A crumpled piece of paper from having been looking at it over and over as he walked around his apartment wondering whether to dial that number or not, receiving comments from Bolín telling him that he would end up making a hole in the floor from walking around so much. The truth was that Mako had never mentioned the interest he felt for General Iroh, and the hesitation that existed in his desire to reach something more than a merely professional relationship, because, honestly, Mako did not know very well if what he felt was a genuine interest or simple irrelevant curiosity. It was that paper that would change everything, and in the end, it ended up at the bottom of a drawer in his room.

Mako sighed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, and without looking at the General, he replied, "Well, I lost it."

There was a moment of silence, again the breeze whispered things in their ears.

"I see," Iroh muttered.

"But, I was just going to ask you again, that's why I…" Mako began to stammer, trying not to let the conversation end and be left alone without Iroh's signal that it was okay to call him, talk to him, with confidence and, perhaps, try to start something more than what they now had; if they even had anything.

However, Iroh took a pen from his coat pocket, his expression serious and focused, as concentrated as Mako's amber gaze on the General's face. The way the cap of the pen got caught between his whitish teeth, and his thin lips caressed the body of the luxurious object. Mako licked his lips, realizing that his own lips were dry, that his heart was racing just by looking at the General's mouth, feeling stupid for being jealous of a simple gold cap of a pen.

He was so stunned that confused he found out that General Iroh's phone number was already written on his plaster, furthermore, in front of his face, he could see his beautiful smile, which looked amused too.

"That way you won't be able to lose it, I don't think they're going to take your cast off tomorrow," Iroh joked, after removing the cap from his pen to return it to his pocket. Iroh's smile stretched in such a way that Mako did not allow himself to miss his shiny teeth, the way they fit perfectly on his lips, as well as creating an almost invisible dimple that he couldn't help but consider adorable.

Mako was silent, not only deviated in appreciation of the General's mouth, but of his entire face; the gold in his eyes even brighter than the gold in the pen that disappeared from the stage. Mako forgot how to breathe, if they asked him where he was, he wouldn't know how to answer it, and, in fact, he couldn't answer, because his mouth had already taken care of suddenly kissing the older one in front of him.

It was a short kiss, like one of those one would do when knowing that he has two minutes to live. However, Mako didn't have two minutes to live as far as he knew, so he wandered far enough to make sure he wouldn't do it again.

He was an idiot! What was he thinking?!

"I-I'm sorry, General, I-I…" he tried to excuse himself, covering his mouth entirely with his hand and praying that the red staining his face wouldn't show. Mako wasn't sure why he did that, and he didn't know if he would do it again, even if Iroh gave him permission.

The answer was on the tip of his tongue, in the tingling that was created inside his body when Iroh's only reply was to took his hand from his mouth to cover it with his own, invading the insides with his warm tongue. , in a hungry kiss. Mako stifled a moan, his body startled at being so close to the General's. The only wall between them was the cast, and yet it also didn't prevent them from touching as they were doing right now.

With his good hand, Mako ran his fingers through Iroh's hair, and it was definitely silky. He pushed in such a way that the kiss deepened and there was no room to breathe, they parted for an instant, sighing fire.

"Iroh," the General gasped.

"W-what?"

"Call me  _ Iroh _ , don't call me  _ 'General' _ again while we're alone"

That said, he continued kissing him, silencing any other response Mako might give him. In fact, Mako had no complaints, if the General was okay with this, well, he would let himself be touched completely; he would give in to his arms, his lips that traveled every area of his face, reducing from his chin to his neck, licking his Adam's apple, traveling through the connection between his neck and the rest of his body. Mako moaned Iroh's name, closing his eyes from the heat that was beginning to grow inside him.

Iroh bit his skin, marking his neck as he had marked his cast with his number. The General returned to where his lips belonged, to Mako's. Mako felt something explode in his chest, Iroh's lips caressing his tenderly, but at the same time, fiercely, they collided with a small pressure that prevented the gasps from coming out and saying the name Mako promised to say.

His hand fell to Iroh's shoulders, brushing against the General's firm arms until it reached his lower back. Mako was hungry, he wanted more of this touch, more of the saliva that narrowly escaped from the corners of him.

This was his second kiss, the first was started by him, and this was all Iroh's fault, Mako was convinced that Iroh was responsible this time, also, it took him a long time to realize that he was returning the kiss with the same vehemence and that his hand traveled under Iroh's jacket, to feel the fine fabric of his shirt that touched his skin that he now could not reach. How could he do that? The General's elegant suit covered him enough that he was not at liberty to touch him completely, but, ah, at some moment he maybe unbuckled Iroh's belt, in his clouded common sense and desperate search for contact, Mako opened Iroh's coat to touch him as much as he could. Most hilarious of all, Iroh allowed it.

It was difficult for Mako to pick up on all the details now, and probably remember them later. He was just getting carried away; let himself feeling.

Iroh let his own hands go from Mako's chest to his waist, Mako knew what Iroh was looking for, he thought to let him; he was desperate for Iroh to take care of the thing that was so tight on his pants. His hot, agitated breaths showed how much they corresponded to this passion, the fire they vowed to share.

"Iroh …"

"Mako …"

"Wow, I'm the birthday man here, but I wasn't invited to this little piece of cake," Mako and Iroh recognized immediately who said that, and it was enough for both to part and make up appearances.

It was Varrick, grinning from ear to ear, leaning back against the balcony railing. Mako rubbed his own face so hard that anyone would think he would end up erasing it, while Iroh pretended to cough too hard, seeking the courage to face this embarrassing moment.

"Varrick…" Mako pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut. "How long have you been looking?"

"Necessary…"

"How long have you been here?! Tell me!" Mako despaired.

Varrick keeps with his expression of enjoyment, moving his glass, appreciating how the drink danced inside it "Oh, from the part where you kissed him like a shy teenager. You know, your disastrous but spicy performance gave me the idea for a great movie,” he commented excitedly, raising his arms to the sky and splashing some of his drink on the ground.

Mako and Iroh looked at each other.

"Yeah, that's exactly what we were doing," Mako began.

“We were practicing for a play that I had been invited to in the Fire Nation. I-It's about a forbidden love, or something like that, and Mako was so bored that …"

Varrick put his arm around Iroh and approached him "I don't care about that play, it looks like it's disgusting. I have a better idea, tell them to call me"

The man started talking about his idea as the couple rolled their eyes. Iroh decided to ignore Varrick and drag Mako away. They had to return to the party, but before they were forced to go their separate ways, Iroh placed a wet kiss on Mako's lips, whispering firmly, "Call me"

Mako felt an impact on his butt that was nothing more and nothing less than Iroh's hand hitting his ass. It sounded loudly like a snap, and Mako's insides shook completely in embarrassment.

Without further ado, Iroh turned around and returned to the crowd, settling in to socialize with the rest as if nothing had happened, while Mako still felt the hot throbbing throughout his body and more than anything, in his lower zone. But he shook his head, patted himself a couple of times, and turned to look for his friends.

He walked almost in automatic mode, not listening to those around him, only to the whisper of the General repeating itself in his mind, and the number that stood out in the white of his plaster. His lips were still dry, and throbbed in need for more contact.

However, he did want this to repeat; If he wanted this to go well, he would have to call the number that had been written down for him a few minutes ago, and the same one that was crumpled in the deep darkness of his drawer.

A smile creased his lips, this time sighing in relief, as if a weight had been lifted off him. Mako walked over to his group.

Bolín was lying on a sofa, rubbing his belly and repeating that he was giving no more. Asami was talking to Korra until they saw the firebender arrive.

Korra approached him, folding her arms with a look full of amusement.

"Mako, why so smiling?"

Mako put his hand to his face, confused, causing the girls to laugh in unison.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!
> 
> You can follow me on:
> 
> Twitter: @CrimsonDreams4  
> Tumblr: xxxcrimsondreamsxxx


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